Human Rights - Empire and All the Sweet Perfumes

The U.S. selectively focuses on human rights concerns with countries it's at odds with

Ray Ja FraserHuman Rights - Empire and All the Sweet Perfumes

Shame. Shame. Double Shame. The world is sick and tired of your subversive games. Say what? I refer to the recent barrage of reports, stories, and statements decrying the alleged situation in Eritrea. A 3-person team penned a report, having never visited the country, concluding Eritrea committed a litany of crimes and then proposing a series of recommendations which, in effect, would see the UN basically rule Eritrea. The gumption.

Ultimately, what all this underscores, clear as day, is Empire’s relentless campaign against Eritrea. As in previous posts detailing Empire’s low-intensity conflict, I remind you, none of this has anything to do with the alleged situation in Eritrea. If providing an accurate account or improving lives was the focus, why did the CoI ignore Eritrea’s questions about the lack of impartiality or overlook the illegal sanctions and occupation? Why not work with international entities and developmental organizations in Eritrea or attempt to address Eritrea’s concerns? Why completely disregard the huge number of calls, emails, and letters sent by Eritreans around the world? Instead, the CoI simply labeled Eritrea as “uncooperative.” That is telling. And that is what this is all about.

Eritrea is uncooperative with Empire. Empire seeks to eliminate Eritrea because the country remains independent of Empire’s designs for the continent, refuses to prostrate itself before foreign, imperialist agendas, and because Eritrea firmly and unconditionally believes that the primary beneficiaries of the country’s resources must be Eritreans – not foreign multinational corporations. So…uncooperative. Accordingly, the human rights card is just another one dealt by Empire (don’t forget it has a stacked deck), seeking to isolate, demoralize, and delegitimize. Syria. Russia. Venezuela. Iran. North Korea. Guatemala. Ecuador. Cuba. Grenada. Nicaragua. Vietnam. China. Bolivia. Zimbabwe. All have been dealt this hand at one time or another. But it’s a bust…the dealer’s hand is bloody, and all the perfumes of Arabia cannot sweeten it.

St. Augustine’s City of God is quite apt here. Recall how in City of God, St. Augustine tells the story of a pirate captured by Alexander the Great. The Emperor angrily demanded of him, "How dare you molest the seas?" To which the pirate replied, "How dare you molest the whole world? Because I do it with a small boat, I am called a pirate and a thief. You, with a great navy, molest the world and are called an emperor."

But democracy…! What about it? You think this is about the “lack of elections” (even though numerous have been held)? Empire doesn’t care about elections or democracy. It champions countries that hold “elections” with a 100% winning tally, and it is cozily in bed with countries where the government is not all from one party…but from one family.

But Carl Bildt! He’s been wagging his (bloody) finger at Eritrea and hinting at the need for (regime) change! Come on now. Ask Carl about Assange. About Swedish arms sales. About CIA rendition. About NATO…Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine and the Donbass. All of a sudden Carl is on the side of rights? Justice? Haq?

But Mark Leon Goldberg and other experts says it’s horrid! Easy now, uncritically listening to anything that comes from Empire’s mouthpieces says more about you than them. It was thought that there was not one sentient being left who thought the Libya debacle was a success…Goldberg proves to be an exception. Shame! And experts? For Empire, an expert is a person who is capable of articulating the consensus of people with power...that’s what makes him an expert. And if you want to be an expert, you have to serve the interests of Empire. If an expert was to speak truth to power…they’d cease being an expert.

But women! Children! The people! Never. Empire is unsentimental about you and yours. Thus, choke the country with sanctions. Pass travel warnings and scare off investors to “make the economy scream.” Tacitly approve a foreign military occupation, and quietly support repeated acts of military aggression. Block development partnerships that feed the hungry and clothe the poor.

And this is about Eritrean women? Like how the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, according to Laura Bush and Cherie Blair, was to liberate women? Come on now. Don’t infantilize Eritrean women. Don’t patronize them. Don’t attempt to remove their agency. Speak to one. And yes, Empire cherishes children. So much so, that Madeleine Albright, without blinking, said the deaths of between 500,000-1,000,000 children in Iraq were worth it. So much so, that…Yemen. Gaza. Bahrain. Somalia. Congo. Yes, Empire cherishes children.

But some Eritrean groups keep telling us how bad it is! Brush up on your history. Empire not only resorts to using disinformation and propaganda, but also the employment of, as described by anti-imperialism luminaries such as journalist John Pilger and British MP George Galloway, the usual crop of quislings, compradors, spies, and colonial stooges. For Empire, there’s an eternal search to find a stooge or “local” face who will somehow validate Empire’s previous exploitative actions, present interventionist stance, or future colonialist ambitions. These are your NTC’s (National Transitional Councils), your Chalabis, your Muzorewas. This approach also serves to give Empire a veneer of legitimacy and allows it to think itself benevolent. Brush up on how the King of England gave a Charter to Massachusetts, commissioning the settlers to save the natives from the misery of paganism. Outdated? Fast forward to slavery, colonialism, imperialism and the white man’s burden.

This is too conspiratorial! Eritrea is too small to be targeted! Tsk, tsk. For Empire, conspiracy theorist is a label used to shut down honest public debate and critical thinking. And regarding Eritrea being small - that is exactly the point. No country is exempt from Empire’s machinations and interventions, no matter how unimportant. In fact, it's the weakest, poorest countries that often arouse the greatest hysteria. If the smalltime shopkeeper doesn’t “pay dues and respect” to the Mafia don, what happens to the criminal racket? No, no. Better to set an example.

As I said. Accuracy, objectivity, and truth are not the foci here. No, no. Empire’s focus is taking this all the way to the ICC. Then R2P. Then regime change. A la Libya. Because, you know…that worked like a charm.

TO BE HONEST,Where is the International Human right when a lot of Eritreans kidnapped in Sinai for many years which is never taking any measure or condemn to the security of Egypt for not controlling the smugglers? is the killing of thousands civilians in Yemen less human right abuse than Eritrean regime act? So who is giving the license "to do whatever" on Humans as "or do not not"?

When Higdefs react to evidence of human rights abuses in Eritrea, they never ever ever speak about the real issues, such as political prisoners and sexual abuse in Sawa. It is always only about the US here and the US there and Ethiopia and the poor PFDJ under pressure. We all know that human rights are abused by PFDJ, the question is only what can we do about it? For example, we can demand from PFDJ to change the situation and we can stop defending PFDJ. If PFDJ was innocent like a little lamb - as they always claim - then they should have no problem to release the political prisoners or let the UN inspecteurs into the country and into the prisons. If we want to bring Eritrea forward we have to speak about these issues and if we do not want negative news about Eritrea, we must force PFDJ to stop producing these negative news. Everything else is counterproductive and it is diving our country and our people...

That statement presupposes that its writer is the paragon of temperance, courage, justice and wisdom , but is he?

As a caution, we must admit that one drop of water does not constitute a rain and nor would one deviation from the truth make some one a habitual liar; after all to err is human.

But how do we differentiate between the Truth and falsehood?

A truth is an idea that faithfully reflect the fact on the ground, and the falsehood is anompletely divorced from reality.

The writer is a known die-hard supporter of Isaias Afewerki. Of course, when I say die-hard, I am implying the degree of his conviction and the long duration he has been married with that conviction.

Isaias Afewerki seized power through coup and declared himself president of Eritrea fourteen years ago. He hires and fires his officials; imposes his laws on the people; kills, incarcerates any of the peoplle, all of these and many others, he does at will.

But does Isaias Afewerki ever assert that he is doing what he is doing to hurt the people of Eritrea?

No, to the contrary. He says he is doing that to defend them against their enemies, those who have not allegedly accepted the Sovereignty of Eritrean people.

This kind of false reasoning is called Rationalization and is used by all hard criminals to evade the truth. When, for instance, the Nazis set out to exterminate the Jews, they concocted a deceptive phrase, The Final Solution of the Jews.

Did this phrase fooled many of the Jews into believing that the Nazis were helping them restablish themselves in their promised land, the Palestine?

Absolutely. That was why they sheepishly cooperated to get into the trains where they were gassed to death. Would they cooperate had they known they were being taken into the Gas Chamber? No.

How do you then figure out if some one is rationalizing?

By relying on the objective state of facts and not on subjective innuendos. Get into the habit of seeing things critically.

It is self evident that Eritreans, like the Jews, are victims of vicious rationalization. The question is Why does the writer support Isaias Afewerki despite his crime against humanity?

When a criminal sets out to inflict his criminal activities, he does not confine himself to only rationalization but he also sets up networks of cabals,of which the writer is one. Because the ring leader, in our case, Isaias Afewerki, has unlimited power over the people and wealth of the state, the cabals gravitate towards him in order to take part in his unlimited spoil. And because the luxurious lives they enjoy is contingent on his staying in power, they defend him, eulogize his patriotism and devotion to the country and people. It is all self---seving.